Cat's Cradle
by Black Rose Kalli
Summary: After he lost it all, he found her, the animal, the woman, the missing piece to his memories. Why did she leave? Where did she come from? Rated M for a reason people. Logan X OC, don't like, don't read.
1. Animal Magnetism

Alright, well here I am again with a new story. I am working on my DW fic, for those of you still following that so no worries, I should have a chapter up soon but I thought I would try my hand at an X-Men fic. Not gonna lie, the new Wolverine movie is definitely what put me up to it, that man is just too damn beautiful to leave alone if ya know what I mean lol. This is more of a prologue than anything and the new movie will not be in this story.

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Animal Magnetism

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The car sped down the road, a black 67 Chevy Impala with an electric blue racing stripe down either side, weaving between the occasional traffic on the turnpike around New York City. The driver, a painfully average woman of around twenty six, puffed steadily away on a cigarette, her hand reaching out to turn up the dial on the radio as a news report came on, interrupting one of her favorite David Bowie songs.

"Police remain on the look out for a black panther. This animal is considered extremely dangerous, a new acquisition to the Big Cat exhibit at the New York Metropolitan Zoo. If you see this animal, do not approach it, do not feed it, call animal control immediately. You can find a list of sightings on our website. If you are in an area where it has been sighted, you are urged to stay indoors. Remember, this is a wild animal, use extreme caution." The DJ made some snide remark about fur rugs and the song started back up.

"Gods, I hate humans sometimes." The driver flicked her cigarette out the window and swung over into the carpool lane, blissfully empty at this time of night, and floored the accelerator. She settled back in the seat, gripping the steering wheel as she shifted into a higher gear, urging the car down the road at upwards of 115 mph, laughing as she passed some of the newer sports car models, leaving them in the dust like they were standing still. As she passed the last of the late night traffic around the city, she flicked her lights off, her eyes shifting from their normal Hazel to a cat like yellow green, pupils turning to slits as the world around her was thrown into a feline night vision. Just two hours till she could put that bastard out of her mind for good.

* * *

Professor Xavier rarely dreamed. His mind was uniquely built to handle trauma and stress, dreams were no necessary for him. He spent those hours when his body was resting to monitor his school, keeping watch over the little lives he had taken under his care. Occasionally, as he was known to do in his younger day, particularly those following his accident, he would take a walk in someone's mind. He was always careful to pick a person far from the school, no one he knew, no one who had the ability to sense him. It was in such a body that he saw her coming. The eyes caught his attention first, gleaming and yellow, like a cat's. The car was the next clue, it was just as it had been when she'd first come into his life. It was speeding up the small access road that ran through the last town before the school.

He raced back to his own mind, sending a call to Jean's resting mind. He felt her mind wake up, followed by that of her husband and the other X-Men. He paused a moment to consider if it was all necessary, but then the woman's face floated across his memory, the look of determination and anger apparent and unmoving. She was too dangerous to meet alone.

It wasn't until they were all outside, lined up in combat formation that he paused to think why she was coming. She had not left on the best of terms, it was true, but he had heard nothing of her since her departure some thirty years previous. It seemed almost too coincidental that she would come now, barely a week after both Logan and Marie had been rescued from Magneto's man Sabertooth. Had she finally allied with his old friend? Was this a declaration of war? He took a steadying breath, trying to slip into her mind but was met with nothing but a wall and a distinctive mental growl, a warning.

* * *

Logan was having a nightmare. Nothing new for him, simply reliving the same fragments of memory that had been haunting him for as long as he could remember. He was in the tank, liquid all around him, breathing tubes around his face while pain, fiery and hot, shot through his entire body, coating his bones with flame and boiling his blood as drills bored into his flesh. He felt the metal moving through him, washing over every joint and vertebra. He desperately searched for an escape, trying everything he could to break free of the machines that held him pinned, but, as always, he was forced to endure it, this hideous experiment that he'd been trapped in for the better part of three decades.

He turned in the tank, desperate for a face that he knew, some clue as to where this all happened, hoping against hope that the details would stay in his waking mind, but he knew, even as he thrashed and scanned, that he would wake up and forget it all again. And as if on cue, his body bolted upright in the bed, claws extended down into the mattress, skin covered in a sheen of sweat, muscles tensed for a fight that would never come.

The crunch of gravel under tires shook him from his post dream shock and he wondered at the lack of light on the opposite wall. His room faced the front of the school, the car's headlights should have sent light dancing all over them, but there was nothing. He checked the clock, three in the morning. Who the hell was coming to the school at this time of night? He got a feeling in the pit of his stomach, something that was calling to him on an instinctual level and he took an experimental sniff of the air. Sure enough, there was the usual collection of people, all the x-men gathered out front and the students all asleep in bed, but there was something new as well, something more like him, feral and earthy. It drove him out of bed, pulling him to one of the front facing windows, his eyes fixed on the car that had pulled up almost touching the people arrayed out in front of the school. He lifted the window silently, ready to pounce if he was needed, arms braced against the window frame as he watched a figure get out of the car, unfolding from the low riding muscle car.

* * *

She felt all the eyes on her as she got out, heard the not so subtle snigger from the pretty boy next to the telepath and felt the hair on her body stand up at the presence of another animal. She slammed the door, not particularly caring who she woke in the process and perched on the hood of the car, her boots resting on the fender, cigarette caught between her lips at she stared down the aging man in the wheel chair.

"Samantha, welcome back." Xavier rolled forward, trying to be relaxed.

"Not here to stay, just want information. You can put the nanny squad back to bed, I'm not here to fight." She settled on the hood of the car, her boots resting on the fender, cigarette held firmly in her lips as she flicked her Zippo open, holding it to the end until it glowed a bright cherry red. Smoke curled around her in the darkness as she closed the lighter, stowing it in the inner pocket of her leather jacket. She noticed how the pretty boy on the end stiffened and she felt a thrill run through her, the animal itching for a good hunt, but she swallowed it down, locking her animal nature back in it's cage. After this talk was done she could make use of the woods around the school to vent some anger before heading back into the city.

"Forgive me, I was unsure of your intentions. You can understand my apprehension I'm sure." He smiled softly at her, just like always, gods how she hated it.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, cut the father act okay? It really only works with those who aren't actually older than you are. Now, we gonna talk or we gonna do the mexican stand off thing some more?" She looked to every person in the line, sizing them up and categorizing them.

"Ah, of course." He waved a hand, the team behind him dispersing immediately, some hanging around longer than others, clearly worried for the Professor's safety. The one who stuck around the longest, an islander from the looks of her skin and hair, leveled her with a look that promised all manner of bodily harm. Samantha just smiled and waved her off.

"Cheery bunch ya got there. That the team you wanted me to join?" She let out a small sardonic laugh, her eyes moving to study the gravel drive, ash floating slowly down onto the smooth white and gray stones.

"Yes, it is. Though I admit is has changed some since you were here last. Many of the mutants you knew have moved onto other things." He watched as she straightened, dropping her cigarette and crushing it with a step as she drew even with him.

"Yeah, heard about Beast, some big time politico now right? Good to see not all of um went Lensher's way." She matched step with his pace as the chair rolled onto the ramp and to the doors. She took a breath before she stepped through, the doors closing behind her. "Listen, Charlie, you gotta stop what you're doin' man. You got heat comin' down on you in the worst way." She followed him into the study, taking mental notes of the positions of all the x-men, still awake and standing at every exit on the main floor.

"Samantha, I appreciate your concern, but it is not the first time we have had trouble. This is going to be a hard fight, it always has been, but I will not back down. I know about the threats, the ones from the Brotherhood as well as the more mundane Human camps. They are being handled." He rolled behind his desk, pulling out a very thick folder of letters and e-mails, sent from various sources as both threats and warnings.

"Not like this you haven't, my being here should be proof enough of that. I'm not saying shut down the fight, I'm not saying keep quiet and let them steamroll over you, but, just lay low for a bit." She leaned against the desk, shoulders tense, face dark.

"I do appreciate the concern, I understand the gravity of the situation Samantha, better than most." His hand gripped his leg, useless since that day on the beach, his face dark for a moment. "But we will not be bullied into silence. Not by anyone." He regained his composure with a speed and grace that never ceased to amaze her, and it infuriated her.

"Damn it Charles, don't you get it?" She slammed a hand down on the desk, a piece of paper clenched in it. It was a contract, unsigned as of yet. "You've got hits on you, some big time boys are gunning for your head and that ain't all. Some of um want the school gone too, leveled, as a message. Understand?" She tossed the paper at him, stepping away from the desk as the skinny red head opened the door, a not too subtle reminder that they weren't alone.

"Samantha, do you plan to take this contract?" He held the paper up, eyes darkening in a way that made her skin stand on end.

"Would I have told you if I was? I just came to warn you is all. Guess I said my piece, I just hope you don't do anything stupid." She turned, knocking into the red head on her way out of the door. Footsteps on the stairs caught her attention as a new scent assaulted her. It was feral, like hers, but more...male. It was like the scent of the forest after a rain, musky and wooden and warm. It drew her attention to a man, standing about halfway up the stairs, eyes fixed on her and she couldn't help the feline grin that came across her face. She let her eyes wander over him appreciatively, taking in all the details from the mussed hair to the wonderfully defined muscles that bunched and rolled under the skin of his torso.

"Leaving are you?" The Islander was back, her eyes less than friendly, her accent only adding to the irritation that bunched up between Samantha's shoulders.

"Yeah, better hope your boss doesn't get you all killed." She grinned at the genuine surprise on the woman's face and turned, body far too tense to be indoors any more. She was back in the car and speeding away before anyone could question her last statement and she was already working on forgetting the entire encounter, but something wouldn't leave. That man's scent looped in her mind, along with the delicious visual of his bare chest. Her inner cat purred appreciatively, it had been far too long since she'd had a decent man.

The more he thought about that woman the less sense she made. He'd never felt that kind of instant attraction to someone before. He'd felt a zing or two over the years, seen a drop dead gorgeous piece of ass that he had to have, but never something this lasting. The more he thought about her, the more he realized that she wasn't anything special. She had too much weight on her frame and was almost a full head shorter than him, but something in her called to him.

It had been a week since she'd shown up and it had been the most frustrating week of his life. He'd tried everything he knew to distract himself. He'd trained in the danger room until he was so exhausted he couldn't move. He'd run the length and breadth of the forest around the mansion. He'd even gone down to the infirmary and had a full check up done. The results had come back normal, or as normal as he ever was and he remained just as frustrated and fixated as ever.

Then Rogue did a runner. Then Magneto tried to liquify the most powerful people in the entire world and, not for the first time, he came face to face with death.

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Samantha prowled the forest around the school, watching the man as he ran his body into the ground in an attempt to ignore his instincts. At first she thought he was just being stubborn, her human form was less than stellar she knew, but as she watched, she realized that he had no idea what was going on. It was a shock to her. He seemed so instinctual in every other sense, but in this he was being so...human. She contemplated going to him, explaining what was going on, or just out right asking him, he looked about as pent up as she felt. But she thought better of it as she saw how he interacted with the others in the school. He was one of them. An animal playing at being human to fit in, trying to normal as if it mattered. He'd never understand.

Then the girl bolted. Samantha trailed her, keeping the Toad off her ass for as long as she could, but one panther can only do so much against three highly trained mutants. They got the better of her just outside the city and found a nice cage to lock her in while they completed their "business". It was pathetic. Magneto, rat bastard that he was, made an empty promise or two to come fetch her once the world was his, make her part of his team. But she knew it was all bullshit. By the time she got out and away, it had all gone down, Sabertooth and Toad were dead, Mystique was missing and Lensher had been locked up in a plastic prison somewhere far away from everyone.

The man stayed in her mind the whole time. Something about his was familiar. She knew she'd seen him before, but the where and when were too fuzzy to pin down. It wasn't until Stryker grabbed her that she remembered. James Howlett, younger brother of Victor Creed also known as Sabertooth. The moment she put a name with the face, memories flooded back to her. She saw them fighting along side her against all manner of enemies. Always she was with them, like the three musketeers, fighting through more wars than she could count, living rough outside civilization. She saw the moment they first met. Victor had been captured by a village mob for stealing, set in the stocks for days already while little James was scared in the woods, alone. She'd been bringing him game, leaving it in the night while he slept. She stayed in animal form back then, not wanting to be seen by the humans she'd learned to distrust. It wasn't until Victor returned that she revealed herself to them.

Back then, jungle cats were completely unknown. No one had ever seen a Panther let alone given it a name, at least not in this part of the world. To them, she was just a very large house cat with funny shaped ears. She cared for them, bought their trust with game and clothing stolen from the local merchant. Finally, one day late in the summer of southern Canada, she showed them who she really was. Victor became instantly distrustful of her, calling her a witch but James, still young enough to view magic with an open innocence, convinced his brother to let her stay. She was like a mother to them as they grew, showing them the way of the forest and guiding them into manhood as best she could. It wasn't until much later, the Vietnam war to be precise, that she lost track of them.

She'd been discovered as a woman, something that was just not done back then, and sent back stateside when they were picked up by Stryker. She grabbed their trail after that, but it turned out to be bad luck this time around. Victor grabbed her outside a bar in South Dakota, he'd become more animal than man at this point and barely remembered her. She was sent off to a facility on Three Mile Island to be "tested". Too bad the techs couldn't fight off a caged Panther. She was kept tranqed for most of her stay and then released after the whole place went, literally, nuclear. She lost track of both brothers after that, settling into a solitary life again, locking away memories of her old life as she accustomed herself to the new culture of New York City.

But now, here was her boy once again, popping into her life in snap shots, saving the world like it was still at war. She watched from a distance as they battled through the dam, rescuing kids and stopping bad guys. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him battle one enemy after another. He really was an animal. But then his world collapsed. His little woman sacrificed herself to save the team. Samantha watched the whole thing from a hilltop, resting high in a tree. She thought for a moment she caught his eye, but he was just staring into space.

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Logan battled his way through the mutant army, pushing past body after body, eyes fixed on Jean. She stood on top of a pile of rubble like it was a throne, a mad light shining in her eyes and she smiled down on the battle going on around her. It was the same face, the same body, but it wasn't his Jean, not anymore. She'd killed Scott, killed The Professor was planning on killing a lot more people before she was finished. This was the mantra he repeated to himself as he ended life after life. He let it drive him, blocking out everything else, until a feline growl echoed to his right, followed by a scream and the thud of a body. He rounded on the sound, only to be faced with a felled enemy and a Panther, panting as it looked up at him, blood staining the fur of its mouth. He watched the firelight shine in its pelt, turning the richest, darkest brown he'd ever seen and felt such a pull to it that it brought him to his knees. He knew this creature, but he couldn't remember.

It was so close to the surface, like a word on the tip of his tongue but just as it was trying to surface, the cat lunged over him, all power and grace, and took down the spine throwing mutant that had been sneaking up on his flank. It let out a yowl as a long spine was driven into its side but the scream that sounded a moment later told the tale of that victory. He moved to the animal's side, hand reaching out to stroke the fur, but stopped as the head turned, looking up at Jean, a strange, almost human sadness reflected in its eyes. It pushed his hand away, turning it to face the red headed woman on the hill of rubble and then it was gone, vanished into the crowd. The roar of a muscle car echoed in the distance, but he payed it no mind as he watched the super heated air erupt around her. The choice had been taken from him, he was the only one who could do this.

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She stumbled into the motel room, her hand clutching the spine in her side. She swore colorfully, her side already beginning to itch.

"I fucking hate bone weapons! Always an infection to deal with afterward." She lay down on the bed, extending her side as far as she could to give some space between the ribs. At least the damn thing had missed anything vital. She took a breath and bit down on the small plastic wallet she carried around with her, more to keep from screaming than anything else, and gave the spine a good yank, pulling it free of her flesh. She heard the sound of plastic snapping inside the wallet and groaned. The wound closed slowly, the flesh knitting back together, but not before she poured what little Vodka she had left over it, hoping to stave off another trip to the doctor.

Once she was properly closed and clean she sat down and started going through all the cards in her wallet. The driver's license had been spared this time, but her Master Card and Capitol One both had been snapped in half. She sighed, pulling out the four pieces of plastic and looking at the fake names on stamped into them. She hadn't even gotten a chance to use them. Oh well, something to worry about in the morning. She had money enough for food and a trip. Time to pay her respects to the old man and put it all behind her.

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Logan was out on the balcony, he'd been there a lot lately, staring down at the graves in the back of the mansion, watching the flames in each headstone flicker in the wind. Tonight was no different, his eyes were clouded over with memories, watching and replaying all the scenes of his life that had contained those he had lost, or been forced to end. Movement caught his attention, pulling him back into the present as a large black panther padded out onto the lawn, walking slowly into the light of the fires, slowly bowing, at least in so far as a Panther could be said to bow, to The Professor's grave, sitting back on its haunches before the stone, its face somehow sad.

It took him a moment to realize it was the same animal that had saved him in the battle. It had shown him his path, given him precious seconds to come to terms with it, though it still plagued his dreams. But he'd seen it before that. At the lake, when Jean had been swallowed by the water. It had been in a tree above the water, watching him, that same sadness in its eyes. What was this thing?

It looked up to him, as if his thoughts had summoned its attention. Its eyes gleamed, yellow green and bright as it bowed to him as well, turning and trotting back into the woods. He was over the railing and after it in a shot, determined to get answers. It was hard to track in the dark, a whisper of fur against leaves and a shadow glimpsed in a clearing. It wasn't until he reached a ridge that he managed to pin it down. But what he saw wasn't a Panther, it was a woman, it was The Woman. The scent hit him first, bringing her to his mind as fresh as if he'd just seen her.

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She stopped, the sound of him crashing through the brush behind her still a ways off. She stepped to the side and slid back into her human skin, her body no longer popping and cracking as it once did. She grabbed the clothes she had stashed and threw them on. It was nothing too fancy, just some flared jeans, a black long sleeve shirt and her leather coat. She slid into her socks and boots and stood at the edge of the ridge, hair down and blowing in the wind of the cool autumn evening as the running behind her stopped. She turned, a small smile on her face as the moon came over the horizon behind her.

He stood stock still, his face a mask of shock and anger. He took a hesitant step forward before charging her, pushing her to the ground under him. She had been expecting something of a fight but was unprepared for the fall and the hit took her breath for a moment. He sat up on his knees, his legs on either side of her hips, pinning her. He drew up a hand, claws extending to rest against the soft skin of her throat.

"Who the hell are you?" His voice was more gruff than she remembered, like he'd been swallowing gravel for the past thirty years.

"You don't remember me Jimmy Boy?" She turned her head to the side, raising and eyebrow.

"My name ain't Jimmy sister and I wouldn't be askin' if I did." He leaned down, the metal leaving a small nick just above her clavicle.

"Oh right, sorry, you go by Logan now. Man, they really did a number on you huh?" She wiggled a little, trying to get out from under him. He put his other hand on her chest, pushing her back and stilling her motions. She met his eyes and saw no recognition at all and felt her blood chill.

"I suggest you start talking." He leveled a stare at her that shot straight to her core in more ways than one.

"Alright, alright, ease up with the sharp implements huh? I won't run, promise." She held her hands up by her head, trying to her damnedest to look innocent. It was never something she was very good at. The phrase Cheshire Cat Smile came to mind often. But whatever she did seemed to work because he moved off her, letting her sit up, the distinct "snict" of his claws sliding back echoed around them.

She sat up, her back popping loudly as she stretched. She sighed and stood, brushing herself off and motioning for him to stand as well.

"What do you want to know first?" She leaned against a tree and pulling out a battered pack of cigarettes, tapping one out and lighting it before he could answer.

"Who the hell are you?" He copied her position against a tree on the opposite end of the clear spot they'd managed to find during their chase.

"My name is Samantha Turnis and I'm a mutant like you, well, kinda." Smoke curled out of her mouth as she spoke, drifting away, catching the light of the moon as it rose over the small valley below them.

"What do you mean "like me"?" He stood forward his interest piqued.

"I'm sure by now you've noticed all the different types of mutations right? Well me and you are alike. I'm a shifter and you're a feral. Both animalistic type mutations that some believe make us less human." She recited it off like it was a spelling bee, no inflection or enthusiasm, waiting for the hard questions to start.

"Why did you call me Jimmy?" The anger had bled from him now, replaced with a cautious curiosity, like some part of him could sense that he knew her and that she could help him.

"Because that's your name, or, it was, before you apparently lost it. James Howlett, brother of Victor Creed, feral mutation along the lines of a Badger or Wolverine, hence the nickname I guess. Do you really not remember any of this?" She stood forward as well, drawing deep on her cig as her mind began to work.

"I got no memories past about thirty years ago. Everything before that is just blank. You saying you knew me back then?" He walked forward, away from his tree, shoulders set in what she'd come to know as his "threatening" stance.

"That would seem to be the gist of it yeah. Unless you don't believe me of course, in which case it doesn't really matter." She flicked her cigarette into the valley, sparks flying up off the stones is it bounced away and walked forward to meet him, her shoulders set in a similar posture though the height difference worked in his favor. She'd tangled with bigger than him before and knew he was already making a list of her weaknesses, her height and weight being listed first. But he backed down, something she'd never seen him do before, even to her.

"Alright, tell me." He sat down, pulling out a cigar from his coat and lighting it up.

"What? Really?" She looked down at him, dumb founded for a moment as she caught her footing mentally. He just shot her a look of irritation and motioned to the tree she'd been leaning against before with the cherry red end of his cigar. "Alright, but, this is gonna be a long night." She sat against the tree, puling out another cigarette and plunging into what bits of his history she'd shared.

By the end, it was light and she was exhausted. She'd been awake for days, traveling and dodging remnants of Magneto's army, all of which seemed to know about her, no doubt because he'd seen her fighting with the Professor's men. Her body was at it's limit, the cuts and slashes from her last battle still healing. She had meant to go into the mansion in human form and get some help for that particular problem, her healing factor had a cap when no one else's seemed to, but her midnight chase had blown that plan all to hell. She finished up explaining about how she'd jumped into the battle and booked before the big finish and stood, sighing and pressing a hand to her side. Logan sniffed and caught a scent of blood just as she stumbled.

"Damn, more tired than I thought I guess." She took a step forward, trying to steady herself as her world slid sideways and she fell. She expected to hit the ground, but felt a familiar chest under her head.

"Why aren't you healing?" He sounded like he used to when she push herself on the battle field.

"I've got a limit, never understood why." She laughed softly, wincing as the last of her natural pain killers wore off. "Don't think I'm gonna be awake for the trip back, could use a lift." Her eyes rolled backward as they closed, her body going limp in his arms.

"Damn it." He watched as her body changed from a woman to a panther, the eyes still closed, the clothes either ripping or sliding away from the body. He grabbed the coat and the cat, one over each shoulder and began the trek back through the woods.

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Alright, so prologue done. Have I caught your attention? Do you want more? Let me know alright?


	2. Justice and a Job

Hey guys, back with Chapter 2. I'm not shooting for a specific length with these, usually gets me in trouble when I do that, so forgive any length discrepancies. Not sure if I put a disclaimer in the first chapter but just in case I OWN NOTHING NOR WILL I BY THE TIME I FINISH THIS PIECE OF FANFICTION. There, should do right? Big shout out to my faves/followers/reviewers:

camsam17  
BlueEyedGunSlinger  
KelseyHalliwell  
blackdepth  
Lorna Roxen  
98  
FredsForeverFanGirl  
shalmarrose  
Cherry Mustang  
blaahblaahblaah  
Kira The Dead Ninja  
Jaz  
OnlyAntagonism

You guys rock and push me to be better so big thanks and cookies all around. Anyway, without further ado, have Chapter 2 (I rhymed lol)

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Justice and a Job

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Her heartbeat pounded in her head like a hammer. Scents assaulted her from all sides, pulling her from the warm embrace of unconsciousness. Her mind reeled for a moment, trying to make sense of her limbs. She remembered being human but her legs and arms were in the wrong place and when she opened her eyes, she was met with the black and white world of cat vision. She tried to sit up, her mind still not caught of to the fact that was transformed and she felt her body start to fall, her rear end colliding gracelessly with the floor as she yowled softly in irritation.

"I thought cats always landed on their feet." The familiar gruffness of Jimmy's voice echoed around the sterile smelling room, drawing her attention to his reclining form in the corner. She huffed in his direction, her mind and body finally syncing up enough to function. She stood gingerly at first, testing all her muscles for injury before resting her full weight on them. She pushed herself down into a languid stretch, mouth opening to reveal lines of white teeth as she yawned, several joints and vertebrae cracking as her body let loose the tension it had apparently been holding.

She turned toward him, her eyes glinting in the light of the med bay. She saw him tense, smelled the slight release of adrenaline as he straightened from his relaxed posture. So he still didn't trust her. If she'd been human she would've grinned, but she settled for padding forward slowly, head down, neck exposed, the classic sign of non aggression in all animals. He seemed more confused than put at ease, perhaps he wasn't as in touch with his animal as she thought. When she was close enough, she sat, head still down, a gentle purr rumbling in her chest and she felt the tension slowly drain away from him as a hand moved out to stroke over the fur on her head. It made her heart ache to have to go through this again, memories of a much smaller Jimmy replaying in her head. At least she knew it was definitely him now.

"So I take it our patient is awake." A voice rang out from the doorway, startling both parties. Samantha stiffened, turning slowly. She knew that accent and it did not bring up fond memories. She leveled eyes on the Islander from her previous visit and felt the old aggression rising in her.

"I think you spooked her." Jimmy's hand never left her fur, keeping up a soothing stroking down her back as she leveled an angry stare at the darker skinned woman.

"Consider it a favor returned." She smiled down at the big cat, her eyes much softer than the last time they'd spoken. Samantha paused for a moment to wonder if this woman knew who she really was. She drew in a breath mentally, relaxing the muscles that had bunched up in anticipation of a pounce and padded softly over to the medical table, leaping up onto it without effort. She turned her head to the Island woman her expression as expectant as a Panther could manage. "Logan could you leave us? I don't think she'll appreciate you seeing her naked when she shifts back." The remark was intended to be a joke, Samantha was sure, but it came out sterner than was necessary and she felt her hackles raise.

"Alright, just be careful Storm, I don't think she likes you." He grinned, taking out a cigar and fixing it between his lips as he unfolded from the chair and stalked out. Samantha watched as Storm's eyes registered anger, confusion and humor all at the same time. It was always amazing to watch Human expressions from her feline form, every muscle twitch carried a meaning. It was always shocking to her how many signals humans sent out without even meaning to. They wouldn't any of them last a second in a jungle.

"Okay, well now that that's done, would you mind shifting back for me? I treated your wounds as best as I could but I'm not a vet and I would like to make sure I got everything. Don't worry, no one here but us ladies." She smiled at the cat, running a finger through the fur on her side. "You really have a beautiful coat." She smiled again, clearly trying to get the big cat to like her. Samantha sighed inwardly, really wishing she could still dislike this woman as much as before, but nothing in her demeanor or posture or scent matched with the woman she'd met all those years ago and she felt the remembered irritation bleeding away. She nodded, nudging the woman away with her head before closing her eyes and laying down on her side. It was the easiest position to shift in because the spine and torso were already in the proper position for human limbs. She felt a moment of fluidity as her body forgot what it was and remembered it was human, her limbs sliding from one position to another soundlessly. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking into the Technicolor world of Human vision and the scents of the room diminished, still present, but no longer easy to find. She felt a sense of loss as the world dimmed, all the extra information now blocked from her senses but she adapted quickly, sitting back up and stretching, popping her neck and shoulders in the process. Storm's face clouded over for a moment as recognition hit her, but she buried it quickly as she went about her work.

"Guess you remember me then." She hissed softly as the other woman poked at her side none too gently, the fresh scar tissue standing out as a jagged reminder of her limitations.

"I do. I hope you are here on less violent intent this time." She finished her examination quickly and handed the woman a set of spare clothing. It was nothing special, sports bra, sweat pants, tank top and zip up hoodie, but it was enough to save her modesty.

"Relax, I was just here to say bye to an old friend and then me and, um, what's his name, got into a bit of a game of chase. I was already wounded so it tired me out and I guess he brought me here." She deliberately fudged over his name, not quite remembering what he went by here.

"His name is Logan, don't take it personally, he doesn't warm up to people easily." Storm sighed, watching the tiny woman shove herself into the clothing. It was a little too small around the chest and belly, the tank top turning from loose to unflattering rather quickly, but the hoodie covered it well enough. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you are a little...larger, than most of the shifters I have met." She blushed softly as she voiced the veiled question.

"Huh? Oh yeah, the whole "fat shifter" thing. I never really got it myself, just assumed it was part of the gig till I met others like me. I guess it's cause of what I shift into. Most go for something small, bird, house cat, dog, stuff like that, but I got Panther, big damn Jungle Cat. I mean a 200+ human isn't the healthiest thing in the world, I managed to get down to about 180 a couple months ago, but that reflects in my animal form and I started losing muscle mass pretty quick. I guess the trade off of being a powerful jungle cat by night is being a chubby short human by day." She grinned, zipping up the hoodie, which looked to be just large enough. "No worries, I'm not exactly what one would call self conscious anymore." She looked down at her stomach as she spoke, tapping it softly with a small smile, laughing softly when it growled in response. "Got any food in this joint?"

Storm couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled up, her previous suspicion forgotten in the face of this likable young woman. She looked up and met Samantha's eye, feeling a kind of weight settle over her as she saw the mass expanse of years hidden behind the perpetually young face. This woman was much older than she appeared and Storm felt a sudden sense of respect toward her. "Yeah, we should still have something in the kitchen.

* * *

Logan was back out on the balcony when Samantha found him, his gaze fixed on Jean's grave, expression dark and full of guilt and sadness. She stayed in the doorway for a while, enjoying the scent of the night air as well as the feeling of being clean for the first time in about a week. When she'd first left the med bay she'd been too hungry to notice how bad she smelled and even though Storm swore she didn't notice anything, it was enough to almost ruin Samantha's appetite. She'd practically inhaled her food and then requested a shower. Storm had done her one better, offering her a room for the night and asked to see her when she woke in the morning. She'd agreed, not really thinking anything of it at the time and spent a very happy hour in the shower, scrubbing away any evidence of the last harrowing week of her life. Now she stood in the doorway to the balcony, smelling like nothing but soap and herself, watching a man she'd known for over a century, mourn yet another lost love.

"You gonna stand there all night or say something?" His voice sounded rougher than usual, almost like he'd been crying.

"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb, you looked like you were far away." She stepped out onto the cold stone, her feet tingling at the sensation of the chill invading her skin.

"I was." He turned, leaning his full weight against the railing.

"Someplace nice?" She asked, her tone hopeful. She knew what he was going to say already. A person didn't get to their age without having far too many bad memories.

"I wish. Just trying to remember any of what you told me." He looked over at her, suddenly mistrustful.

"I take it nothing came of it. It's alright if you don't believe me, I figured it was a long shot anyway." She looked down at the railing, watching a bead of dew finally become too heavy to balance and slide away down the curve of the stone. She felt a change in him, a sudden tensing, like he'd seen something. She looked up, eyes shifting to scan her surroundings. "Oh damn." She sighed, stepping away from the balcony for a moment.

"What is it?" He took an experimental sniff of the air, catching a strange scent but unable to place it.

"Old friends." She sighed, shedding the jacket and shifting, pulling the clothes off with her claws and teeth before taking a bounding leap over the railing. Before he could follow her, she was gone, vanished into the dark of the forest. He stood stock still, a little in shock at the suddenness of her actions before shaking himself out of it. He sighed, hopping the banister and setting off after her, tracking her scent until the sounds of a cat fight reached his ears. He felt a fear he couldn't quite place rise up in him and he took off at an all out run toward the sound.

* * *

Samantha slowed as she neared the clearing where she could see at least four other big cats. She hadn't expected they'd find her this far north, but she should've known they'd be coming for her. Her pack had always had a rule, once you are in, you are in for life. If you wanted to leave, you faced death should the pack ever find you. She felt fear spike inside her as she looked over the members who had come for her, two tigers, a cheetah and a leopard, that would be Danny and Tina, Mason and Rodric, four of the most powerful apparent from her. She took a breath, feeling her heart slow back its normal rhythm as she stepped through the tree line, a mental channel open to the other cats in the clearing.

"_Sisters, Brothers, don't suppose you're here with good news huh?" _She sat on the edge of the treeline, keeping all four animals in her sight.

"_Actually we have. The pack in under new leadership and you are being offered a place in it. Your transgressions will be wiped clean and you will be welcomed back into the family in your old position." _Rodric, ever the traditionalist.

"_Who is this new leader? What happened to Matthew?"_ She turned her head quizzically, genuinely curious.

"_You know him as Eric Lensher I believe. He has been momentarily cured of his ability, but we are confident that the effects will fade in short order. He has so many plans for us sister and he remembers you. He says that once you fought at his side against the humans who sought our destruction. He wishes for you to resume your good work."_ That was Mason, self righteous ass.

"_I'm honored, really, shocked, but honored. I have to decline though. You see, I left the pack because of this purist crap and I won't be dragged back in just because an old friend asks it of me. I am aware of the punishment for this refusal, I understand if you feel compelled to meet it out." _She stood, her body tensed for an attack. She matched eyes with every cat, the tigers, girls she had taken in as cubs, lowered their heads, eyes closed, a clear sign of submission. Mason, the cheetah, caught eyes with her but shook his head, deciding instead of lounge back on a tree branch. Rodric was the only one who met her eye. His gaze was solid and commanding.

"_Do not do this sister. You know that to deny our leader is to deny the pack. There is no escape for you if you defy us now."_ To his credit, he sounded genuinely conflicted, but they both knew what he was going to do.

"_You have my answer. I won't go back to being another man's slave. I make my own path now Rodric, no leash, no leader. Do what you must."_ She turned to face him fully, tensed and guarded as he let out a warning growl. She responded in kind, giving the signal in every way that she wasn't going to back down, and he charged.

Their bodies collided in a mass of claws and teeth, the primal sounds of combat echoing around them as the other three cats turned away, unwilling to watch their friend die. Samantha saw this and it registered deep down in her human mind. It hurt to see her friends turn their backs on her, cast her from their sight and mind in preparation for her defeat. Her animal used this as fuel, increasing the ferocity of her attacks so that even Rodric began to grow uneasy. She had him on the defensive when a man burst into the clearing.

* * *

Storm walked slowly through the house, listening for any sounds or signs of students being where they shouldn't. All was quiet, or as quiet as it ever got in this big house right before lights out. She could hear the chatter of girls behind the doors as they discussed boys and fashion or their powers and futures. It did her heart good to hear them all happy and safe, planning what they wanted to become when they were old enough, feeling normal for once in their lives. They all knew what was really happening in the world, what they would really face, but here, they were safe to dream.

She continued her rounds, finally making it to the kitchen where she noticed a curious absence. Every day this week so far, Logan had been in this kitchen after lights out, beer in hand, already well on his way to forgetting what the word "sober" even meant. But not tonight. She felt a sense of dread come over her instantly as she went out the back door, hoping against hope that he was out there. She circled around the house to the balcony he liked to frequent, finding nothing but a set of partially shredded clothed and a cigar, left burning on the banister.

She looked out to the forest as the sounds of animal fighting reached her ears. It was nothing new to her, living right up against wilderness like this led to a few close encounters, but this didn't sound like the average wild dog fight. It was far off but still loud and sounded almost feline. It clicked in her mind a second later and she stood on the edge of the forest, torn between running in after where she knew Logan and the new shifter had gone, or going to get back up. She didn't have to wait long before her body made up her mind for her and sent her running into the woods, the wind already starting to kick up.

* * *

Logan slid to a halt as the two animals separated. One was the familiar black form of Samantha, the other was a great hulking leopard, blood on its muzzle as well as along the fur of its flank. Samantha was in similar shape, her paws shining sticky with blood in the rising moon light. Three other big cats sat around the edge of the clearing, all of them fixing him with a piercing stare, silently warning him away from interfering.

He held a hand up, claws retracting as he backed to the opposite side of the clearing, keeping all the cats in his vision as he tracked the sound of someone moving toward them. He had a hand out, ready to catch whoever it was and was shocked to see Storm appear by his side a second later. She gasped, beginning to push past him, thinking wrongly that this was something she could solve, but he held her firmly back, shaking his head slowly as the two combatants turned to face each other again. Samantha was panting, flanks heaving as she drew in labored breaths. The leopard was no better off, favoring his right front paw which looked to be broken. They circled each other for a moment before charging.

Storm turned away, trying to block the sounds of the fighting out, the thudding of claws against flesh, the yowls and roars of the two big cats as they slashed and tore at each other. She could feel her emotions rising, the loss of her friends still too fresh in her mind to handle new trauma. The wind began to pick up as the fighting rose to a crescendo. A flash of lightning forked across the sky as thunder crashed above them and then everything was suddenly silent.

"It's over Ororo." Logan walked out into the clearing where a bloody, human Samantha was standing, staring down at the corpse of a muscular black man, eyes closed in a peaceful expression.

Storm turned, looking out at the scene, feeling suddenly alien in it. She had always known that the feral mutations did things a little differently, that they weren't always as civilized as the rest of the mutant community, but this was so much more than she had ever expected. It was like she'd just walked into the jungle, but everyone was human shaped.

Logan got to Samantha just as her legs gave out, helping her to a kneeling position and giving her his jacket to cover herself with. The other cats jumped down from the trees where they'd been watching and he tensed as they circled him, but they passed him by with barely a notice. One of the tigers took a sniff of him and Samantha chuckled softly a moment later as all three cats laid down around her.

"If you wanna talk to um, do it yourself. And yeah, this is the one." She sighed, the sound so close to a sibling's irritation that it caused Logan's heart to lurch. One of the tigers gave a tired growl but a moment later, two women and a man sat around Samantha. One of the girls was large, like her, less muscle, more fat, but the other two were like the dead man, muscular and compact.

"Hello. We apologize for the disruption. We sometimes forget that the human world does this differently." The man stood, wrapping a blanket around his torso as he did so. The girls had pulled similar coverings from behind them, they had been dropped there upon arrival for just such an occasion, and stood, keeping close to Samantha as they helped her to her feet and wrapped her in a blanket at well.

"Who the hell are you bub? And why was your buddy goin' after her?" Logan felt more on even footing now that he was looking face to face with a man.

"Rodric was only doing as our pack dictates. Samantha had snubbed our new leader and denied his offer into our pack. To do that is to die, or fight anyway. None of us liked it, but Rodric was always a thick headed bastard." The muscular girl piped up, supporting Samantha as she swayed, her eyes drifting closed.

"Guys, hate to break this up, but can we do the Q&A back at the house, preferably with food, and liquor." Samantha's voice sounded small and sleepy, almost childish. Logan was struck by the differences in her and the other female. She was so small in comparison, even with her added girth, she still looked almost fragile compared to the wall of muscle she was leaning against.

"I agree, you all look tired." Storm sounded almost desperate to leave the forest as she motioned for everyone to follow her. The females all traded a look and three sets of giggles, two clear and bell like, one tired and perhaps a little too old, followed them back to the mansion.

* * *

It had been two days since the fight. Two days since she'd had to fight for her life and kill one of her best friends. Her pack mates had decided to stay on at the school for a while, the hunting around the grounds was excellent apparently. Storm had taken a while to calm, shaken as she was from the fight, but had called Samantha into her office almost immediately afterward.

"A job? You want to offer me a job?" She looked at the seated woman incredulously.

"That's what I said. Honestly, I do not approve of what has happened tonight, but I believe you when you say that it is settled. As to the job, I do not have a shifter on my staff. We have many different types of...feral mutations here and they are becoming harder and harder to control. I believe that you will be valuable in their education. I have never seen a smoother shift than what you can do and these children need that kind of practical education if they are going to learn to control their powers." She swallowed, her breathing a little nervous. Samantha was shocked to realize that she was afraid she would say no. The wear was beginning to show on the woman's carefully contoured mask. She'd been slowly losing grip since she'd been forced to take over the school and it was beginning to break her.

"Yeah, okay. But not today alright? I'm beat and starving. We can get together a little later and talk it out yeah?" She waved as she walked out of the room, missing the relieved sigh as well as the new tension that told the story of how reticent Ororo had really been about bringing her on.

That had been two days ago. Today was day one of her teaching career. She looked out at the students with a touch of apprehension but as Logan stepped up beside her she felt herself relax. This wouldn't be so bad. She'd taught this stubborn ass everything he knew. How hard could a few more be?

* * *

Logan watched as Samantha went between all the shifters, correcting posture. She had them all laid out on the floor, they were on their sides, arms and legs out from their bodies like the legs of an animal. She was talking them through what she called a "fluid change". It was something he'd never seen before, until that night almost two weeks ago. She laid down, assuming the same position and her body seemed to just melt and flow into the shape of a Panther, no popping or cracking of bone or groaning. It looked almost like she just relaxed into her true shape. The big cat slid out of the loose dress she'd been wearing and sat on the gym floor in front of the stunned students, tail swishing softly, mouth held in the cat equivalent of a smug grin.

He watched as the students tried, some trying to hard, some not hard enough, all assuming they knew what she'd really done. He laughed softly as some got stuck halfway through, others not shifting at all, some shifting so far that they seemed to forget they were even human. He made a move to keep them in line, but all it took was a faintly threatening growl from the big cat at the front of the gym and they all fell back in line immediately.

Logan laughed again, feeling a budding respect for the newest addition to his life. Something in the back of his mind growled in possession as the panther disappeared behind a changing screen. He saw a couple of the older students trying to sneak closer but a roar from behind the screen held them firmly in place. He took a breath, pushing down the animal in him that wanted to follow her behind that screen sometime and find out why she smelled so good, turning instead to his own line of students who'd all been working on controlling their inner animal. So far there had been two fights, one kid had almost run off and Logan had seen far too many smug seniors "recruit rookies" with their influence.

It had been irritating enough before, when he was in charge of both the shifters and the ferals both, being the only animalistic teacher, it had seemed the best solution to a growing problem. But now his favorite distraction had gone to another teacher. He used to just bench the ferals, letting them all stew in their misery until they were ready to listen while he devoted most of his attention to the shifters. Now they were gone, replaced by yet another frustration. Samantha had reappeared, dress in place, hair held back in a clip, all charm and smiles and a scent that drove him to distraction. He barked an order for them all to go run laps, they needed to burn off some energy, and disappeared into the small office built into the side of the gym. He needed a minute to lock his animal back in its cage. He watched her out of the small window by the desk they shared, she was kneeling down, talking to a girl who couldn't have been more than seven. She was crying, her hand had gotten stuck as a paw and she couldn't get it back.

He watched as Samantha held it, coaching the little girl through the transformation, holding her after she was back to normal. Some of the other kids came up, apparently feeling bold enough to taunt the little one in front of the teacher and received a swift smack for their trouble. She looked around, apparently trying to find him, meeting his eyes through the glass and grinning knowingly. She set her group to running as well, sending the young girl to the infirmary to make sure everything was alright before turning and walking to the office herself. He groaned inwardly as he watched her hips move under the fabric.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." She leaned up against the door frame, watching his muscles move under his skin. He was almost there. He was still too in control, but she would soon fix that.

"Close the door." He stood, his whole body tense. She stepped into the office and closed the door, lowering the blinds.

"You alright?" She leaned up against the door frame again, hands behind her back.

"What are you doing to me?" He didn't bother to control his tone, wanting her to know how serious he was.

"Did you ever think it was something you were doing to yourself? You've been around these humans too long, forgotten who you are. I'm not doing anything but being here man." She grinned, shrugging and propping a foot up against the wall. He growled, turning away and bracing his hands against a ball rack, resisting the urge to just shove it over.

"What is happening to me then?" He didn't turn, unable to handle her so close.

"Your inner animal is finally getting to have a say. You see, it's easy to keep him in his little cage around so many humans, no other instincts to follow but what you've learned is proper. But all of a sudden there's little old me, someone your animal remembers, even if the rest of you doesn't. Now he's harder to control, am I right?" She walked closer to him, keeping a discreet distance so as not to overwhelm him. He turned, looking suddenly dangerous, his eyes losing some of the humanity she'd come to know over the years.

"You don't wanna push me sister. I don't know what man you remember, but trust me I say I ain't him." He squared his shoulders up, his full height suddenly impressing itself upon her.

"You don't have to fight me. I don't want to hurt you. You're miserable all the time, fighting your baser nature cause you think that's where the bad stuff comes from. I want to show you who you really are and how to be both man and animal. I'm no threat to you, I swear." She backed up slowly, hands raised, face honest and open. She'd under estimated how repressed he really was. Perhaps part of it was to do with that girl of his he'd killed. She'd have to look into that later.

He stalked forward, backing her into the wall, one arm on either side of her head as he leaned down to her eye level. His eyes were hard, dangerous and closed to her. She felt her heart pick up, those eyes reminding her forcibly of Rodric. She took a deep breath, lowering her gaze to the floor for a moment before looking back at him with every inch of animal she could. She must've shocked him because he straightened, danger gone.

"What the hell was that?" He sounded genuinely shocked.

"That is what you could be, if you would just let go." She grinned, happy she'd won yet another round, and opened the door, walking out to dismiss the class.

That night, both slept fitfully. Dreams and memories flashed through their heads too fast to track and, though neither would ever admit it, they dreamed of each other as they once were. Logan woke in a sweat the next morning, new memories swimming around in his head and a whole host of new questions for a certain black cat.

* * *

Well, there ya have it. Let me know if it feels rushed or forced. Never done a fic like this so feel a little out of my depth. Reviews are the food my brain uses for writing so please leave them. I would really appreciate criticism as well as specifics on what you like, lets me know what to fix!


	3. Moments, Memories and a Mystery

Hey guys, sorry this one is a little shorter than the others, I wanted to make it longer but there is already enough going on here. Big shout to all my favoriters/followers/reviewers:

Nevergonnafitin  
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You guys are awesome, you keep me writing and make me feel like I actually do it well. Anyway, enough from me, hope you guys enjoy Chapter 3!

* * *

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Moments, Memories and a Mystery

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It was the scratching that woke her. Samantha had been sleeping soundly, or at least as soundly as any centuries old Feral mutant can, enjoying the first nightmare free night in over a month when a strange scratching sound had invaded her dreams. At first she thought it was just a part of the scene she was playing out, perhaps a vole or some small mouse wandering too close to the shattered floor boards of the old cabin she'd called home some hundred years ago. But as she listened, she realized that it was too loud for that, too close. It was like something was trying to claw through the boards under her head. It raised a flag in her mind, something that told her it was no dream and that she needed to find her way back to consciousness, and fast.

Her eyes opened slowly, the lids feeling almost to heavy to lift. She thought at first, that she'd failed to open them because all that she saw was black, but she could feel the faint air current brush against her parted lashes as well as that curious sensation one always gets when trying to peer too hard into the dark. It was like the darkness was pressing against the skin of her eyes, invading her thoughts so that she began to panic. It was only her animal mind that called her back to order, slowing her heart and reminding her that she was probably bigger and badder than anything in this strange darkness.

She sighed, sitting up, orienting her body so that she was in a perfect state of balance. If something did want to tangle with her, she wanted to be sure she was prepared, and shifting off balance was never a good way to start a fight. As her heart slowed, she began reaching out with her other senses, closing her useless eyes, allowing her hearing and sense of smell to take over entirely, painting a picture of a small cell, hard stone on three sides with open bars on the fourth which lay directly in front of her. She guessed she was in the left back corner of the cell by the feel of the air curving around her and confirmed this by sliding slowly backward till she felt cold stone press up against her back and left side. She took a deep breath, getting her bearing. She heard a faint drip off to her right, almost parallel to her current position. She tested her limbs, seeing if anything was damaged or restrained but was met with nothing but free movement. She nodded, standing and stretching the cold out of her joints and muscles. It was then that she heard the growl, and a familiar scent spiked the air.

"Jim...Logan?" She caught herself before getting the name fully out, remembering that he hated it.

"That you Sam?" The voice was gruff, tired, like he'd been sleeping.

"Yeah, listen, you got eyes on? I got nothing but black." She had tried to access her night vision, but that had just made her head ache and the world remained black.

"Yeah, come kinda cell block." She could tell from his voice that he had a lot of questions but she was thankful that he'd kept them to himself. Her human side was beginning to take over, the animal being shoved roaring and clawing into a cage by her fear. She'd never been blind before, never, and she feared that perhaps this wouldn't heal. "You okay over there? Talk to me Sam." Jimmy's voice guided her to the right front edge of her cell, his scent was so strong there, and she felt a hand brush her arm as she came to the bars. She grabbed at it, feeling herself start to tremble.

"I can't see Logan, I've never been blind before." She tried to make it sound like a learning experience, something that was just interesting to her but she could tell by the way his hand clenched around hers that she was failing.

"Lean your head against the bars, let me see what you look like." She smiled softly, trust Jimmy to take matters in hand and get things done. She felt an old spark pop into life in her chest, something she'd thought long buried as she pressed her head against the bars, his hands wondering over her face until they got to her eyes. The moment he touched them, they began to burn and sting like they'd been branded. She leapt away from him and the bars, landing in a crouch on the other side of the cell, her head knocking none too gently against the cell wall. She hissed softly as people around them started to wake up, talking beginning to resonate in her ears, almost too loud to stand. The pain around her eyes seemed to intensify the more stimuli were added and she found her body beginning to morph on its own. Within moments, Samantha had shifted to her Panther form, the din deadened but still very present. She began to pace the cell, her animal mind trying to escape the endless cacophony of voices and jeers and screaming until it became too much and she leapt at the cage bars with a roar, battering her body against the cold iron. A jolt of pure electricity raced through her, stunning her as her body lay pinned against the bars. The sound stopped, Jimmy's scent disappearing just as quickly as it had come, replaced with a tangy metal scent and the sound of a low, slow laugh.

* * *

One Week Earlier

Logan looked up from his desk, a small stack of papers on it, some with red ink, some still awaiting judgement. He'd assigned his students an essay, something Samantha had suggested, to try and get their logical human mind to accept their animal mind. It seemed to have worked for only about half, if the red ink was anything to go off of. Samantha stopped her slow walk at the chairs set before the desk and sat down, Logan's eyes following her movements.

"Howdy." She smiled, watching the pupils of his eyes constrict as her scent hit him.

"Something I can do for you?" He tried to inhale without her noticing, turning his head back down to the papers in a show of indifference.

"I was just wondering what you were doing later. I wanted to go to a movie but they are keeping my baby under lockdown. I heard you know your way around a motorcycle so I thought you could take me out." Her smile slid into a grin as he looked back up. "Relax, I don't do chick flicks, actions movies only for this girl. Figured you could use some time out of this place."

"I can't. I've got work to do." He looked back down at the papers, drawing a particularly heavy read line under a full sentence.

"Well if you don't like the movie idea we could always just go out back and have a race. But I figured you'd prefer the activity where you could actually participate." Her grin slid into a full on smirk, something she'd never known any man to turn down. Something in his scent changed, his animal had taken offense to that one. He looked up, his eyes suddenly brighter than before. She let out a soft purr as he stood, walking around the desk to stand in front of her. She made to stand up but his arms came down on either arm rest, his body blocking her and forcing her back into the chair.

"What do you want from me? Do you just enjoy playing with me? Keeping me confused?" His voice was quiet and deadly and she felt the shivers run just under her skin, preparing to either fight, or do something much more fun.

"I've already told you what I want Jimmy. I want you to be who you really are, not this tarted up human wannabe you pretend you are. Challenging your animal directly seems to be the only way to do that, plus it's fun." She grinned, brushing her leg up his as she resettled herself, the loose dress she wore sliding down off one shoulder.

"My name, is Logan." It was practically a growl this time, full of warning. He was holding himself back, probably out of fear of hurting her. She'd have to change that.

"Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy. Want me to call you Logan...make me." She leaned up so that they were barely an inch apart, her neck bare and exposed. It would seem that that was one button too many as the next moment, he had her by said exposed neck and was tossing her across the room onto the small couch, which promptly broke under weight, sending her crashing to the floor. She barely had time to collect her breath as she rolled sideways, dodging the full on punch he'd thrown at her chest. She rolled back to her feet, her body moving lithely out of his reach as they began to grapple. Punches were thrown, claws slashed, animals roared and clothing was shredded as they battled around the office. She quickly learned to stay away from the haymakers and hooks, his bones were too hard for that kind of move, so she settled for rabbit punches to the solarplexes and abdomen when she could get them in, drawing him slowly out of his sophisticated shell until he was back to that Feral young man she'd known so long ago. The fight ended with Samantha pinned to the rug by two of his claws, one on either side of her neck, his face barely an inch away from hers.

"What's my name?" His voice held the promise of a lot more pain if she got it wrong.

"Logan." She had no sooner gotten the word out of her mouth than his was coming down on her, forcing her lips apart as his tongue invaded, drawing her into another wrestling match. She purred inwardly, this was a game she knew she was superior in. She snaked a hand between them, extending a claw silently, slicing up and through his shirt before he could even register she'd moved. She'd been expecting a sarcastic quip or remark, but not for him to sit up and away from her. He stood, shirt hanging loosely over a perfectly sculpted torso, looking down at her with a mixture of desire and something she couldn't quite place. He held a hand out to her, pulling her up, fingers playing along the edges of the tattered dress.

"Not here." His voice was heavy with lust and he all but dragged her down the halls until they reached his room. She was about to comment on his impeccable manners, but before she could even draw the breath to do so, she was in the door and on the bed, claws shredding her dress, ripping the fabric from her. She heard a soft growl as the fabric fell away and felt the familiar curl of self consciousness invade her hazy mind. Lucky for her, laying on her back was one of the more attractive ways to see her naked, and the light was dim. Besides, he seemed to more than happy focusing on her her positive aspects. His hands ran over her hips and rather ample breasts, stroking and scratching until her mind went completely silent. She moved on autopilot from then on, her hands tearing clothes away from skin that she desperately needed to touch, mouth seeking out all the sensitive pulse points she'd learned about. Finally, once both were bare and panting, Logan met her eyes, his expression shocked for a moment as he saw the animalistic aspects that had bled through. Her eyes were yellow green now no doubt, slitted pupils replacing the big black orbs he'd come to know, but if it bothered him, he didn't show it, merely leaned in, kissing her deeply, slowly, for the first time as he slid between her legs and pushed forward.

It was a small shock to her, it wasn't normally so gentle. She was used to rutting like an animal, all sharp thrusts and bite marks, but this was different. This was slow and gentle and, for once, she could feel the pleasure inside her coiling up, like a spring, ready to pop at any moment. She held onto him as he moved over her, powerful hips driving home deep thrusts that shook her whole body. Low moans and mewling sounds issued from her as she matched his rhythm, pushing her hips up in time with him. He drew her up into another kiss, one of his hands moving to grab her hips while the other steadied himself against the headboard. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

He brought her up, slowly, coaxing every name of his she'd ever known out of her mouth before sending her crashing over the edge into ecstasy, but he was far from done. As she was coming down, he sat up, turning her over and pulling her back against him. She couldn't help how her heart quickened, her body thrumming like a raw nerve as he began touching her again, trailing his hands lazily over her body, teeth nipping at the skin of her neck, making her pulse jump and race under her skin. Without wraning, he was inside her again, this time a little rougher, a little harder. He bent her forward slowly, his hands trailing down her back as he let out a growl. She gasped as she felt the faint scratching of claws against her back and couldn't repress the moan that slid from her mouth. The rest of their coupling bled into a blur of pleasure. He would bring her to the edge over and over again, only to let her slide back down. It must've gone on for hours before he finally released, holding her tight against him as he rode out his own wave. She did remember a distinct pain in her neck, like a hickey, only not so itchy afterward, but it was so wrapped up in all the panting and groaning that she couldn't remember what exactly had happened.

She settled down next to him in the big bed, sated and content, surrounded by his scent and feeling truly safe for the first time in a long time. A fleeting image of Victor passed through her mind, making her heart lurch uncomfortably, but the Logan pulled her closer, nestling his face in the crook of his neck, arms securely around her middle, and she felt the fatigue begin to set in, her afterglow tapering off into genuine sleepiness as her eyes slid closed.

Little did she know, that would be the last of him she would be seeing for a while.

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She'd woken up in a cell, her hands and feet bound, no clothes to speak of, and a strange little metal glinting out of the corner of her eye. She'd managed to get herself into a corner, mostly out of sight of the rest of the cells, most of which were empty, and curled up, hands behind her back, trying to find any kind of rough surface to use as a means of cutting through them. After one complete circuit of the cell she'd given up, slumping back against the walls with a growl. It was then that her captor made himself known.

An older gentleman in a metal helmet stepped into her field of vision, about half way through her third circuit of the cell and she felt her heart sink. He'd aged, the years of hard living showing plainly on his face. He looked like he'd seen a thousand world wars, and maybe he had, he liked to torture himself with what if's as if they were real. He stood a good distance away from the cell, clearly distrustful of her, or just unhappy with her condition, she wasn't sure.

"Erik. Fancy meeting you here." She glared up at him, tugging at the ropes again, trying to twist her hands around in a way that might make her claws useful.

"Samantha. I do apologize for this...situation, but I seem to have found myself with a bit of a Feral problem." He stepped closer, holding his hand up. The little metal glint slowly began to spin, pulling her her skin even s it pushed into it, sending a small electric jolt through her. "I think you'll find I prefer you as a human. That was a warning. That device is now calibrated to your exact genetic structure. If you should change, or try to escape, it will send a shock ten times that large straight into your brain. Not enough to kill you, I'm sure, but more than enough to make you...compliant." He smiled sadly. "I wish it did not have to be this way Samantha, truly I do, but your defiance has shown the others that there is another option. They rose against me, that pack of yours, and...well, let's just say you'll see some familiar faces soon." He let out a small laugh, turning as he moved away. Samantha charged the bars, her body shifting as she moved, ropes splitting as muscle grew out of the stores of fat she had. No sooner had her paws touched the ground than she was sent reeling backward, shock after shock coursing through her until her body shifted back, eyes closed, the skin around them beginning to smoke.

This continued for the better part of five days. Magneto would come to see her, taunt her until she charged the bars and then knock her out with enough electricity to power a small home. Soon, her skin stopped healing. After the third day, she could hardly see, her body was weak from lack of food or water, or sleep, and her healing factor seemed to be tied into it. She wasn't special anymore, she was mortal, and one more fit would be enough to finish her. So she did the only thing she could do, she escaped inside her mind. It was something she'd learned from a captured soldier. He would just disappear into his mind, live in a memory or create a world from nothing, all to keep him safe from the horrors that went on around him on a daily basis. It had worked for her once before, the day she'd seen Jimmy drop from that damn bullet. She'd become a cat then, letting her human mind become dormant as she hunted the woods and forests of upstate New York. It took her almost three years to get out it, but by then, she had plenty to distract her. This is what she did now, taking herself out of this prison and going to the old forests of her home.

_It seemed like so long ago, yet only yesterday. She saw herself as a young girl in a simple dress, running through the Black Forest with her brothers, hearing the animals of the wood talking to her. She went through the first four hundred years of her life. She remembered searching for others like her for so long, hiding her secret from everyone she knew, watching them all grow old while she remained a young woman. But they didn't hate her for it, as she feared they would, they accepted it as a gift, first from the gods and goddesses they prayed to, and then the judeo christian God when he got there. She was seen as a miracle, a sign of good fortune. And it was in this guise that she cared for generation after generation of her family, tending everyone she could until finally, the family became too large for her to track. I was at this point that she realized she'd let the world march on without her. And then it happened, news of others like her. Not completely alike, it was true, they couldn't change entirely, merely adopt the aspect of a particular animal, but it was more than she'd ever heard before. So, using the last of her wages, she purchased passage to Canada and set out to find these two remarkable brothers._

_Her mind jumped then to the cabin she'd been staying in, a small run down place, left abandoned for whatever reason. It was absolutely rife with rats and mice and little voles and rabbits. She had proceeded with caution at first, not wanting to scare away months worth of food, and, eventually, the little creatures became innured to their own instincts, trusting her as they did each other. She ate well after that. But then the scratching began, that irritating scraping noise. It was like a sound Victor used to make with his claws when he struck them against stone._

Her mind jolted to wakefulness as the sound echoed around her. It used to stop with the dream, ending with an echo that didn't quite seem real, but this time it remained, strong and grating as ever.

"Morning." That voice, she knew that voice. But it was impossible.

"I saw you fall. You died." She turned toward the sound, trying to pin down exactly where he was standing. The sound stopped suddenly as she turned to face him, replaced with a soft growl and the jingle of keys in a lock. She stiffened, ready for a fight, but was met with soft touches instead.

"What've they done to ya Sammy?" His voice had lost the edge he normally used, replaced with the earnest voice he only ever used for her or his brother.

"You mean you don't know? I thought you were in Magneto's pocket now." She tried to keep her voice from sounding as bitter and angry as she was, but from the way the touches changed, she failed.

"We parted ways. Is he the one that did this to you?" He started feeling the tissue around her eyes. She flinched away, expecting pain, but there was nothing, just a gentle pressure. So whoever had been touching her face before hadn't been Logan, just someone torturing her. This sent a shiver of cold realization down her spine and she sprang away from him, hands out in front of her to keep him away.

"I saw Victor Creed die in the Hudson Bay in New York City some time ago. You think you can use the same trick twice? It wasn't Jimmy before and it's not Victor now." She heard movement around her, one pair of heavy footfalls coupled with the growing sound of other feet, approaching fast.

"Damn it woman, it's me. I don't have time for this." She felt a pair of arms circle her waist and haul her up over a shoulder, bare ass in the air for all to see. "Good to see you kept in shape." The laugh was achingly familiar and it made her heart break. If this wasn't him, if this was just another torture...but soon enough, she was outside, cold snowflakes falling on her back and legs, wind whipping against the overly raw skin of her face as she was placed in seat. "Sit tight Sammy, I gotcha now." A kiss was pressed to her temple, followed by a ripping feeling, the feeling of something coming free of her skin and the distinct sense that things were just getting started.

Shots echoed around them, alerting her to the truth of the matter, just as a bullet whizzed through the air and into her chest, passing through her and seat behind her. She heard Victor roar beside her and, after much screaming, there was silence. Her body was fighting to hang on, healing what it could with the fuel it had left, but she could feel her world getting fuzzy. Sounds became dimmer, the feeling of the air became more like a bed of downy feathers, cushioning her. Her body pitched sideways, the snow pillowing her fall just as the sound of another Feral roar echoed around her. She caught a whiff of home, the two of them together, all sweaty from playing in the forest all day and she sighed, a smile gracing her face before her world went silent.

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Alright, there it is. Let me know what you think okay guys? Don't worry, I'm already working on the next chapter so I won't leave you hanging for long alright? Cya in chapter 4!


	4. An Escape and An Escapade

Hey guys, so incredibly sorry this took so long to get up, school had been a dick lately and I've had no time to write. But inspiration struck so here I am at 3 in the morning, posting a chapter just for you guys. FEEL HONORED! Sorry, coffee, anyway, just a shout out to all the people who followed/favorited/reviewed last chapter:

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You guys rock and keep me writing to super big thanks to you!. Now, onto the chapter!

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An Escape and an Escapade

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Softness, that was the first thing that came to her. Unbearable softness that left her skin feeling isolated. There was no wind, no sensation save for the pillowing gentleness that surrounded her. It should have been comforting, like the feel of an over-sized sweater that has been washed to within an inch of its life. But it wasn't, it was just stifling. She tried to move, to get a sense of what was around her, but found her body would not respond.

"Hey now, easy does it Sammy, we can't have you moving just yet." The voice was so familiar and warm, it brought so many feelings with its rumbling basso timber that she found her heart beginning to beat faster.

"We need to move her. We aren't safe here." This voice too brought emotions and with them memories. She saw a bed, the sheets mussed and half torn from the mattress and along with them a face, fuzzy, as if taken by a camera with no focus.

"I told you already, we can't, not yet. We just gotta get her stable first. Now quit arguing and watch the door. We can't take another ambush." The words were spoken with a tone of authority, not quite martial, or paternal, more familial, like an older brother.

With that thought came a whole slew of memories, some ancient, some new, and rose a whole new kind of panic in her mind. She remembered the attack the prison break, Victor coming to save her from the cage Magneto had put her in. That meant that the other voice much be Jimmy. She felt the warmth of pride rise in her as the thought that even through all the pain and betrayal, when her life was in danger, her boys had put it all aside to save her. It made her happy to know that her teachings about family had driven home so deep that Jimmy could bring them forward even under the massive cloud of amnesia he still suffered, but along with the happiness came pain, and fear.

She had put them in danger, by being in danger herself, she'd brought down violence and pain to the only people she truly cared about in this world. The thought of it made her renew her efforts to move, her body finally responding, albeit slowly and painfully, to the commands her mind was fairly screaming at them. She knew she was the target, she was the prize that had been stolen, and only through her absence, would her boys be safe. The instinctual need to protect her family rose up in her like a tide, pushing her body to sit up and become fully conscious before either of the men could notice, and with similar grace and will, she was out of the bed and out the door before either man could stop her.

She heard the tell tale roar of Victor's anger follow her as she fled into what looked like the boreal forests of the northern US. The air was crisp, clear and freezing against her still bare skin and she felt a warmth trickle down her chest. The gun shot wound still hadn't healed, reopening as the blood began to pump more quickly through her. It brought with it a whole host of new sensations. She felt pain, deep and fiery, her muscles had been tortured for the better part of a week while she was with Magneto and her body had still not had near enough time to heal from it. She knew what she had to do, although she was loathe to do it, knowing it would make her a clear target to anyone still looking for her but her body left her no choice, morphing even as she ran. She leapt over a fallen tree a human and landed a panther, paws thudding softly into the snow as her senses immediately began to track the nearest food source they could find.

The snow made tracking difficult, the scent of watery earth serving to overpower any animal scents more than twenty yards off, but luckily for her, this forest seemed to be densely populated with all manner of small animals. She would eat well and heal and then return to the boys and settle the mess she'd made. But before all that, she had to hide. Her ears pricked forward as she heard the distinct thump of boots in snow, following her very clear trail. There were only two pairs of feet from the sound of things, so it stood to reason that it was Jimmy and Victor, but they'd both become too human, too inured to the sounds of nature and the nature of themselves. They would take her back to wherever they were holed up and try to tend to her like a human, and there wasn't enough time for that. They weren't the only ones pursuing her and she didn't have time to sit around and recover off of chicken broth and crackers. She needed meat, and it just so happened that there was a nest of rabbits about ten yards away, located just under a tree she knew neither of the men would be able to climb. She smirked to herself, reliving memories of training sessions and games of hide and seek as she bolted off into the forest, running fast and silent.

She snagged the rabbits easily enough, catching three at a time in her massive jaws before hauling the entire kill up the tree. She sat, front paws folded, belly to branch, tearing into the fresh meat like it was a turkey dinner. She dropped the bones and skin over the edge of the limb, leaving a clear marking for the boys to follow, if they still knew how, so that they could find her when she'd finished eating. After all, she wanted them to find her, she just wanted to make sure she could survive their "care" first.

She'd made it through five of the six rabbits before the boys managed to track her to the tree and the look on Jimmy's face when he saw the pile of left overs would have made her bust out laughing, if she were able. She settled for a loud purr and tail swishing, calling their attention up to the high branch she was perched on, the sixth rabbit hanging from her mouth. Victor was the first to react, breaking out into loud belly laughs as he bent over, picking up a small skull and tossing at her softly. It bounced harmlessly off her side and she responded by dropping the still bloody rabbit onto his head. This got a rolling laugh from Jimmy who assisted his brother in getting the fur and blood off his face and Victor alternated between laughing and swearing.

"It's not my fault you look like and overgrown house cat. Jimmy, hold my coat, I'm going up after her." Victor dropped the heavy leather into his brother's arms and leapt at the tree, claws sinking deep. He made a good run of it at first, but she'd chosen a very high branch and as the trunk got slimmer, he began to lose his grip, the tree swaying under his movements. It was the swaying that made him fall, flat onto his ass with a muffled grunt. She knew she shouldn't antagonize them, it had been too long since they'd known her and the memory of who she'd been would only keep her safe for so long, but she couldn't resist. She settled down further onto the branch, crossing her front paws and laying her head on them, her tail still swishing behind her. She knew her expression was easy enough to read and it made both brothers still.

"I'll get her down." Jimmy growled, unsheathing his claws with a soft "snikt". He approached the trunk but was stopped as Victor laid a hand on his arm.

"Those things would bring the whole tree down brother. She's up there for a reason." Victor's eyes gleamed with the promise of violence as he looked up at her. "Other than just to taunt us, I mean." His smirk turned into a very promising grin as he turned, taking Jimmy with him.

Samantha felt her hair begin to rise as they whispered to one another, too soft for her to hear over the myriad noises of the forest. She knew they were plotting something, a way to bring her down, but as she searched her mind, she couldn't think of what. She didn't have to think long.

"Samantha, please come down. Whatever made you run, we can talk about it, as people. You aren't strong enough for this kind of thing yet, you know that. Come back to the cabin with us and we'll get you taken care of." Jimmy had disappeared behind the veneer of Logan, the concerned and somewhat sophisticated X-man. She looked down at him, shaking her head and dropping the last of the rabbits at his feet. Victor had gone conveniently missing, gone from her sight. It wasn't until she heard the rustling on the other side of the tree that she understood their plan. One would distract while the other scaled the tree in secret, hidden from her by the trunk and pine needles. But that was not what happened. She felt the impact before she heard it, the vibration taking her by surprise as the entire tree shook, knocking her from the branch so that she was forced to hang on with teeth and claws.

"Last warning Sammy, one more hit and you drop whether you want to or not." Victor's voice came around the curve of the tree, full of laughter and promise. He would knock her out of the tree, she knew, and not feel the least bit sorry about any bruises she received as a result. She detached her teeth long enough to let out the yipping signal she'd taught them, it meant concession, and listened for the thud of whatever Victor had used to hit the ground. As it rang around them, she released her claws, dropping through the air and shifting form so that she landed a woman.

"Alright, you win, take me away." She held her hands out in front of her in a mockery of surrender. She had meant it as a joke, but felt the grasp of strong arms around her middle as she was hoisted into the air and over Victor's shoulder once again. "This again?" She struggled in his grasp, trying to break free but found she was still too weak to over power him. "God damnit Victor put me down, I can walk on my own." She thumped his back hard, which earned her a slap to the ass in return.

"I know, I just like this better. Good view and I don't have to worry about you running off on us again." He laughed, the sound vibrating through her chest.

"You son of a bitch." She kicked out, hitting him in the stomach, but she might as well have been a child for all the damage it did and received another stinging swat, to the back of the thigh this time, presumably as a warning.

"No more of that, or I start getting creative." He growled as he spoke, the prick of claws very apparent against her skin. She sighed, going limp against him.

"Can you at least carry me in a way that doesn't flatten my lungs? Kinda finding it hard to breathe." She wiggled a little, trying to get his shoulder out of her diaphragm, but all it did was make him laugh as he flipped her forward and held her close.

"I remember you being less prissy." He looked down at her, eyes glinting again.

"And I remember you being less of an ass." She yelped as he slapped her behind again. She glared at him and he just shrugged, hefting her closer to him, nostrils flared for a moment.

"Why Samantha, I didn't know you still felt that way." He grinned as she punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey love birds, when you're done flirting, the cabin's just up ahead." Jimmy's voice echoed back to them from the curve in the path. Victor sighed, breaking into a trot to catch up to his sibling, still grinning as the cabin came into view. Samantha felt her jaw drop open at the sight of it. She knew it instantly, although changes had been made to keep it modern and up to code. It was the same cabin they had stayed in for years when the boys had been younger, the same one where she'd eaten so well for many winters. It was where her new life as a "mutant" had begun. And it would seem that it was where she would be staying once again.

"Thought that might shut you up." Victor mumbled, stepping over the threshold and dumping her unceremoniously on the bed. "Like it? Fixed it up myself. Well, with my money anyway." He grinned, she knew how bad he was at building things.

"Eh, not bad." She shrugged, pulling the blanket up over her torso. "You know you two aren't safe with me right? I mean, it's me Magneto wants and you've just put yourselves square in his line of fire." She watched the joviality drain out of the older feral instantly, replaced with the conflicting emotions she knew he'd been feeling. It was no secret that Victor was what one might call "self serving", he didn't stick his neck out for much of anyone and when he did, it was only for a little while. Her words had struck home for him, just as she'd meant them to, but Jimmy was another matter.

He had a savior complex a mile long and was always looking to take a bullet for somebody. She'd seem him jump on land mines and barb wire for men he didn't even know and he'd almost gotten himself killed twice giving his healing factor to that Rogue chick. She felt herself revving for a fight when he turned to her, eyes sad.

"What makes you think we care?" His voice was soft, almost betrayed.

"Excuse me?" She felt an eyebrow go up in genuine confusion.

"Man's got a point Sammy. Why should we care?" Victor walked up to stand beside his brother.

"Um, well not to put too fine a point on it Jimmy, sorry, Logan, but Magneto kinda has free reign when it comes to you. I mean, healing factor or now, you're fucked it he decides to put you on his list of things to break. And Victor, no offense meant, but aren't you more the lone soldier type? I mean I've seen you cut and run from both of us before. So why the heroics now? What, is it mating season or something?" She knew she was pushing it, throwing their faults in their faces after they'd risked life and limb to save her, but she couldn't help but try and get them to see sense.

"Yeah, I have cut and run, but only from a fight I knew we couldn't win and only when you two wouldn't see sense. Magneto can't touch me, not anymore. I know his moves better than he does and there isn't one mutant in that army of his that can take me. So the way I see it, we're your best shot at staying alive, and I always protect what's mine." He growled the last word out, the sound reaching a place inside her she didn't even know was awake anymore. His grin let her know he'd noticed.

"Listen Sam, you've got us whether you want us or not. I'm not about to run off and leave the only key to the past I've got and there's nothing left for me back at the school, all I've got it you." Jimmy's voice sounded so lost, sad and scared, just like that boy she'd rescued so many years ago.

"Fine, fine, no more escape attempts, but if things get hairy, you scatter, got it?" She pinned each of them with the only look that ever seemed to work and grinned inwardly when she saw both heads nod silently. "Awesome, now where's the shower, I smell like rabbit." She grinned, watching the tension bleed out of both men. That was the one thing she loved about ferals, things got put to rest quick.

Victor went to a small closet in the hall and pulled out one of the biggest towels she'd ever seen, hooking a finger for her to follow him down the hall. Jimmy tensed as she walked by, clearly about to say something, but seemed to think better of it and went to the other side of the massive front room, taking up a knife that had been tossed quickly aside during her escape.

"Shower's in there," Victor pointed to a closed door, his hulking body stopping just on the other side of the frame. She knew the body language well enough and felt herself but thrill and recoil at the thought of what it meant. She stepped between him and the door, turning the knob and stepping in, only to have him follow her and slam the door shut behind them. He was on her in a matter of seconds, her body pinned to the tile wall, the chill causing her nipples to peak and her skin to tingle as Victor shed his shirt and pants. He wore nothing underneath, something that shouldn't have surprised her seeing as she taught it to him, but still her pulse quickened as his hot skin pressed against her much shorter frame.

She opened her mouth to object, going to say something about her smell, when he lifted her clean off her feet. He hoisted her by her ass, pinning her against the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist so that all she could do was rest against him, his length pressed against the sensitive skin of her center.

There were no words, no teasing, no comments about love or attractiveness, Victor didn't care about any of that, he never had. He loved the animal in her, and that was what he wanted now. He bit at her neck, not the soft nips she's had with Jimmy, but the full on love bites that sent her blood singing and her body quivering with need. His claws pressed into her skin, creating a kid of pleasure pain that confused her delicate human senses and brought her animal to the fore or her mind. It was enough to push her over the edge so that she reared back and took him deep inside her in one thrust. His roar was muffled by her neck and hair as he braced himself against the wall.

"God damn you're tight." His voice was almost to soft for her to hear, a kind of groan that sent shivers through her. He was the first to begin moving, allowing her body to adjust to him with quick thrusts, but soon, when her sounds of pleasure became too much for him, he angled his hips forward and began to drive into her in earnest. It was nothing like when she'd been with Jimmy, it was a world away from the gentle love making she'd experienced, and it was just what she needed. She braced herself against the wall, rolling her hips down with every thrust, head back against the wall, throat bared to his teeth as he began to thrust harder into her, pushing her over the edge with a scream deadened only by his lips on hers. She felt herself tighten around him moments before his own climax, her mind only vaguely aware of the third person in the cabin. She felt herself begin to float down from ecstasy as a small chuckle reverberated by her ear. "Damn I needed that. Missed ya Sammy." Victor laughed softly as he slapped her ass again, lifting her off of his softening member and setting her on her feet.

"And here I thought you hated me." She quipped, stretching onto her toes, arms in the air. She heard the growl from the door and grinned as she saw him getting dressed. She knew what those stretches did to him and felt a kind of perverse pleasure in causing him the same kind of discomfort he used to cause her before they'd coupled.

"I could never hate you Sammy, love you too much for that." He tossed her the towel as he walked through the door, shutting it behind him with a slam that was louder than necessary. She waited to turn the water on, straining to hear voices that were muffled by the ringing in her ears left by the door. She heard a shout and a blow landing on skin before there was silence. She sighed, knowing who had thrown the punch and groaned inwardly as she turned on the water. She would have to have a talk with Jimmy about the way things were done in Feral relationships. She stepped into the spray of water, groaning softly as the heat soaked into her skin, cutting through the dirt and blood that had become caked on over the past week and wondered if he would take the news any better this time than he'd done a century ago.

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AN: So yeah, no line breaks this time, trying a new scene by scene thing, let me know what you think ok? Anyway, please read/review/fave/follow, in any combination you wish (although I prefer all cause I'm a greedy story writer lol) and LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I'll try to update a little faster from now on, though I make no promises cause classes are hell, but either way, I'll cya in chapter 5!


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